I'm here! I can hardly believe I have been on the field for a week already. Time is flying by!
There are so many things I could share about just from this one week, but what I really want to write about happened only tonight. On Monday nights, we have dinner as a team, followed by a team meeting. We had decided to fast for 24 hours starting Sunday night in preparation for our team meeting, so our dinner tonight broke that fast.
We oohed and aahed when we walked into the dining room because our team leaders had gone all out preparing this meal. A beautiful assortment of food was laid out across the table. The napkins were even folded and stuck into our water glasses so that they fanned out like flames.
Once everyone was seated, our team leader spoke a little about our fast and the plan to break the fast together as a team. He went further to explain that we would break bread together as we remembered Jesus' sacrifice. He picked up the fresh loaf of bread, broke it, and served the person next to him. We passed the loaf around the table so we could each serve our neighbor and remind each other that the bread symbolizes Jesus' body broken for us. After we ate the bread together, our team leader poured a glass of wine to be passed around as we reminded each other that Jesus' blood was shed for us.
This time together as a team was just a beautiful picture to me of sacrifice, family, community, and servanthood. Rather than getting caught up in the busyness of projects and programs, we intentionally took time to remember our Savior and to thank Him for His sacrifice on our behalf. We found joy in fellowshipping and resting with each other as we shared the happenings of the day, and after dinner, we were able to transition into discussing the logistics of our ministry opportunities. When that discussion became slightly overwhelming, one of our team members shared Proverbs 16:3 with us: "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." I am thankful for that reminder and for that team member. Not only has Jesus brought each of us to this place to serve Him, but He has also brought us to this particular team. We get to work alongside each other as we serve and build relationships in the communities around us, and we have the opportunity to serve each other in different ways. As a team, we can encourage, rebuke, uplift, support, assist, and teach each other, all while demonstrating what it means to be a family.
*The picture above was taken on Saturday after a few of us walked to the nearby park to play football. What a fun and exhausting day of walks, football, wall ball, a nerf gun battle, and a trampoline park!